Transcript Monitoring Weather - drakepond8thgradescience

Monitoring Weather
Temperature

Average kinetic
energy of the
molecules in the
atmosphere
◦ How hot or cold it is

Measured with a
thermometer or
temperature probe
Wind Speed
How fast the wind is
blowing
 Measured with an
anemometer
 Units: knots, miles or
km per hour

Wind direction
Direction from which the wind is blowing
 Expressed as points on the compass – N,
S, E, W

Humidity
Measure of the amount of moisture in the
atmosphere
 Usually expressed as relative humidity

◦ ratio of the amount of water vapor actually
present in the air to the maximum amount of
water vapor the air can hold at a given
temperature

Measured with a sling psychrometer
Humidity (cont.)
Humidity (cont.)
Humidity (cont.)

Humidity can also be expressed as the
dew point
◦ Dew point is the temperature at which water
condenses
◦ Measured with a sling psychrometer and a
chart (just like relative humidity)
Air Pressure
Aka. barometric
pressure
 Force exerted by air
molecules pushing
down
 Measured with a
barometer
 Units: millibars,
inches of mercury

Air Pressure (cont.)

Air pressure can tell us about what kind
of weather to expect.
◦ If a high pressure system is on its way, often
you can expect clear skies.
◦ If a low pressure system is coming, then look
for storms and rain.
Precipitation

Water falling from
clouds
◦ Rain, snow, sleet, hail
Measured with a rain
gauge or a ruler
 Measured in inches
or millimeters

Weather Balloons
Collect data on
atmospheric
conditions
 Flights last about 2
hours
 Rise up to 100,000 ft.
 Expand from 6ft to
20 ft in diameter

Radar
Type of radar that is
used to locate
precipitation,
estimate the type,
and calculate its
motion
 Most are doppler
radar

Satellites

Monitor weather,
climate and other
conditions on Earth.
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Clouds
Fires
Effects of pollution
Sand and dust storms
Ocean currents
Volcanic eruptions
Changes in vegetation
-Oil spills
- ice fields
-Glaciers
-Weather systems
and other storms
Data is used to create weather maps.

http://www.accuweather.com/indexradar.asp?partner=netweather